OREANDA-NEWS. June 10, 2010. OAO TATNEFT is implementing a program of introducing long-stroke balancer-free chain drives (CD) in rod pumping units at the problematic well stock. They considerably reduce operating costs for oil production. These chain drives are applied in wells, which operation is complicated by production of heavy oil and formation of water/oil emulsion, deposition of salts and paraffin in the downhole pumping equipment (DPE). The same refers to small diameter holes and to holes operated with additional production strings, as well as to the wells operated in the periodic pumping mode, reported the press-centre of TATNEFT.

Kinematics of the chain drive (low oscillation frequency with uniform velocity over the greater part of the stroke) provide for a favorable downhole equipment operation mode. In practice this mode of operation leads to reduction of dynamic loads on the rod string, therefore reducing the rods failure number, as well as increasing the pump operating efficiency. In addition, it ensures significant savings in specific power consumption of the chain drive in comparison with beam type counterparts (on average by 15%) and electrical centrifugal pumping units (by 57%).

Currently, 1172 wells in OAO TATNEFT are equipped with chain drives of various modifications, with the major proportion of PTs 60 with 3 meters stroke length, which are installed in 910 wells and PTs 80 with 6 meters stroke length installed in 253 wells. In 2010, introduction of 217 chain drives at the fields of the Company are planned, including 158 units of PTs 60 and 59 units of PTs 80.

Chain drives are also introduced at the sites of small oil companies of Tatarstan. They operate about 180 units of this kind as of today. Chain drives have already been supplied to Kazakhstan and their sales spectrum is being expanded to the Russian oil companies. Currently, the chain drives manufactured by Bugulma Mechanical Plant (BMZ, which is part of TATNEFT Group of Companies) are operated at such companies as ANK Bashneft, OAO Samaraneftegaz, OAO Saratovneftegaz, OAO TNK-Nizhnevartovsk and OOO Buguruslanneft.

The chain drive design is being improved on a continuous basis. For this purpose OAO TATNEFT has allocated funds to BMZ for development of technical documentation of PTs 80 climatic versions for operation in the northern and southern climate. It will allow obtaining more reliable drives, which are adapted for application in the regions with relevant climatic conditions.